It happens earlier and earlier every year. The holiday music starts playing
at the start of November, and the stores have holiday items out before
Halloween is even over. And the commercials for toys! That's when I really start to feel anxious. What will we get for our relatives
this year? How will we show our appreciation for people like teachers and
daycare providers without burning up our credit card? Don't worry …
here's some help!

Have a plan. Yes, this means using that dirty word: budget. I set
up a budget in Excel every year and love it because I can easily
set formulas to add and subtract for me. This way I can play with
numbers to see how much I actually have available to spend on each
person on my shopping list. If doing a budget in Excel isn't your
thing, head to
homeeverafter.com/christmas-shopping-list-planner-budget-spreadsheet-free-printable
for a free downloadable and printable holiday budget planner, or
you can use Dave Ramsey's free app and online system, Every Dollar.

Rack up the credit card reward points, but only if you can handle it. If your credit card has a
rewards program which offers gift cards based on how much money you
put on your credit card, use it. Caution: you must be able to pay
off every cent you put on by the due date. If you don't have it
budgeted, don't spend it. I'm able to earn a few hundred dollars'
worth of gift cards for holiday spending every year using this
system, which I can then use to shop or just give the gift card as
the gift itself. If you go to creditcards.com/reward.php, they
compare the top credit card reward programs for you.

Rack up the MyPoints. I've been a member of mypoints.com for many
years and have earned gift cards not only by reading emails (five
points each), but also by sometimes spending money with certain
merchants they support. I'm quickly working toward saving up 10,000
MyPoints, which will equal $50 cash in my PayPal account. The bonus
is that I use my credit card to purchase gifts I would have bought
anyway, so I double my holiday earning power.

Make it yourself! Gifts in a jar
(tipjunkie.com/jar-homemade-gifts), like cookie, cake, pie and
drink mixes and other homemade treats always go over well, and they
are cheap to make! Put them in reusable containers and you've gone
green, as well!

Give up on trying to impress. Sure, the mailman would dig a $100
gift card to a local restaurant, and your sitter would love a $100
iTunes card, but you probably can't afford that or you wouldn't be
reading this article. Do what you can and let people appreciate you
for who you are!

Sell stuff. Getting rid of your clutter not only makes you money,
but it also makes room for incoming holiday gifts. You can sell
books, toys, clothes, movies, music and more at consignment shops
or CraigsList.com or even throw a garage sale if you're really
feeling industrious!

Buy used. Now that your "trash" is going out of your house, you can
find "treasure" at thrift shops, consignment shops, garage sales,
CraigsList, Amazon and eBay. What a great way to save at least 50
percent on items you're looking for.

Buy nothing! To stay out of debt, consider not buying a gift for
your spouse and letting him or her know you want nothing but to
live a debt-free life full of security and hope for the future. If
you just can't stomach that, it can be a fun time trying to find
something for each other on a $10 budget each! A love poem is free
and goes a long way in my house.

Shop early. I love using the annual Toys R Us coupon where I spend
$75 and get a $10 gift card at checkout, but the downside is that
you have to use it within a stated time period.